Neal McDonough Teases His ‘Tulsa King’ Character’s Final Moment in Season 3

A storm is coming from Cal Thresher as Tulsa King season 3 continues — at least according to Neal McDonough.

“Wait until the final speech of season 3,” McDonough, 59, told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of this week’s episode, teasing that he “got emotional” during this moment in the forthcoming finale.

“The director is like, ‘I don’t think you can do that, you’re Cal Thresher.’ I’m like, ‘Well, isn’t that more the reason why I should?’ He is completely misunderstood,” the actor continued. “I don’t want anyone thinking that Cal Thresher is one way, when he might be a completely different way.”

When thinking about the end of this season for McDonough’s character, he notes: “It just makes me smile.”

McDonough made his Tulsa King debut during last year’s second season doing “the whole marijuana gangster thing,” which didn’t exactly work out.

“I tried it. I’m bored. I’m in my 50s. What do I do for fun [because] that didn’t work?” McDonough said of Cal. Well, the third season answered that question from the very beginning, revealing that Cal is now running for governor of Oklahoma.

“If I run for governor, two things can happen. I can help my great state be even better — which is part of it — but the other half is I can amass, a boatload of power for myself, and I can do basically anything I want. That includes anything I want against Dwight Manfredi.”

McDonough made it clear, however, that Cal still wants nothing to do with the gangsters in Tulsa.

“Cal Thresher is fighting for Oklahoma to the bitter end. Then, in the end, when things finally come to — well, I can’t tell you what happens,” McDonough teased.

“You see the true colors of Cal Thresher really come out for a little bit and say, ‘Wow, Cal is one of us.’ I really like that about Cal Thresher this year.”

As for what fans can expect to see between Cal and Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi this year? It’s more of an offscreen battle.

“We’re talking about each other so much. It makes for great drama,” McDonough explained, noting that Cal and Dwight are both always “gonna butt heads.”

“We’re two rams butting horns,” he said of the characters. “What’s better than that?”

This Sunday’s episode featured Cal attending the launch party for Dwight’s new venture into the liquor business, but viewers never even see them cross paths.

“I don’t want any pictures with him or [Frank Grillo’s] Bevilaqua because that could take down my goal of becoming the governor of Oklahoma and amassing power. So, I’m going to do everything I can to distance myself from him,” McDonough shared of his character. “Yet, I need to know exactly what’s going on with Dwight Manfredi at the same time.”

And that’s why Cal is accepting Margaret’s (Dana Delany) help as a pseudo-campaign manager.

“By the end of the season, you realize we’re not partners,” McDonough said of Cal and Margaret. “We’re using each other — and she’s using me for her own purposes as well.”

New episodes of Tulsa King premiere via Paramount+ on Sundays.